Visiting Calaveras took advantage of multiple miscues Friday night and scored three second-period touchdowns in less than four minutes and never looked back, as the defending state 5-A champion opened Mother Load League play with a 48-6 thumping of River Islands.

Missing from his standout role for River Islands (0-1 MLL, 4-1 overall) due to injury was Darien East, who saw extremely limited time on both sides of the ball with just two receptions for 26 yards.

“I had to hold him (East) back a bit today,” Riptide coach Nick Kendall said. “He still gave us what he could, and unfortunately this week, that just wasn’t enough.”

River Islands turned the ball over five times.

“This was uncharacteristic for us,” Kendall said. “I mean they’re kids. Could have been because it was homecoming, the pressure of being undefeated, having Calaveras at home – who knows what caused it, but it happened. And we can’t have that if we want to be the team we say we are.

Following a brawl that broke out on the River Islands bench late in the third quarter, Calaveras (1-0, 4-1) was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to give the Riptide the ball on the Red Hawks 30.

River Islands’ Lucas Ruiz took over from there, gaining 24 yards on the next play after being hit solidly 10 yards down field and churning his way to the 6. Ruiz found the end zone on the next play to bring the Riptide within 20-6.

River Islands was held to 91 yards of offense.

Owen Shahan gained 115 yards on seven carries with touchdown runs of 5 and 33 yards for the Red Hawks. Cohen Curran chipped in a 49-yard touchdown run picking up 87 yards on five carries.

“We know what kind of team we have,” Calaveras coach Manny Mossa said. “We work on ourselves, and we don’t worry about other people. We play football the right way, and I felt we did that today.”

The Riptide travel to Summerville next Friday at 7 p.m.